‘Not the national interest, but the interests of big oil and gas …’

Alexander Downer, centre of the storm: He says the former ASIS operator decided to blow the whistle after learning Mr Downer had become an adviser to Woodside Petroleum in his years after politics. In a statement to the ABC, Mr Downer says the allegations are old and he will not comment on matters regarding national security. The whistleblower’s affidavit is understood to refer to the alleged 2004 bugging operation as “immoral and wrong” because it served not the national interest, but the interests of big oil and gas.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has defended an ASIO raid on the offices of a lawyer in the East Timor spying case, saying it was done in the national interest.

East Timor will launch a case in The Hague on Thursday to have a $40 billion oil and gas treaty it signed with Australia ripped up.

It alleges Australia had the advantage in negotiations because of spying conducted by the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) in Dili, which it claims was ordered by then foreign minister Alexander Downer.

Yesterday, ASIO officers raided the Canberra office of lawyer for East Timor, Bernard Collaery, who is currently in the Netherlands preparing for the case, and cancelled the passport for a retired spy expected to give evidence.

Attorney-General George Brandis has confirmed he approved the warrants to conduct the raid, but denied it was done to affect the arbitration at The Hague.

The Greens slammed the Government this morning.

“This is a very disturbing allegation and if it’s true, it seems that George Brandis seems to think he’s J Edgar Hoover and is able to throw warrants around like confetti,” deputy leader Adam Bandt said.

“There needs to be a full explanation from our Attorney-General.”

But Mr Abbott says the Government’s actions are justified.

“We don’t interfere in cases, but we always act to ensure that our national security is being properly upheld,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“That’s what we’re doing.”

…

East Timor claims ASIS used the cover of Australia’s aid program to install listening bugs inside the East Timorese cabinet room so it could spy on sensitive information during oil and gas negotiations in 2004.

The two countries were working on a deal to share revenue from the oil and gas deposits under the Timor Sea, called The Greater Sunrise fields.

Woodside Petroleum, which wanted to exploit the field, was working hand in glove with the Australian government and senior ministers to score the best possible deal.

Mr Collaery says the details in the allegations have not been made public until now.

“The director-general of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service and his deputy instructed a team of ASIS technicians to travel to East Timor in an elaborate plan, using Australian aid programs relating to the renovation and construction of the cabinet offices in Dili, East Timor, to insert listening devices into the wall, of walls to be constructed under an Australian aid program,” he told the ABC.

Mr Collaery says a star witness who ASIO questioned last night was “not some disaffected spy” but the former director of all technical operations at ASIS.

He says the former ASIS operator decided to blow the whistle after learning Mr Downer had become an adviser to Woodside Petroleum in his years after politics.

In a statement to the ABC, Mr Downer says the allegations are old and he will not comment on matters regarding national security.

The whistleblower’s affidavit is understood to refer to the alleged 2004 bugging operation as “immoral and wrong” because it served not the national interest, but the interests of big oil and gas.

Read the full story, including Peter Lloyd comment, ABC here

• Peter Whish-Wilson: Greens win greater transparency on secret trade deal